Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by NatasyaFR
Summary: Kurt comes back to Lima to reveal a dark truth about Marley's life that will change everything... Plus, with Kurt coming back to McKinley, will he get back to his love of the life, Blaine?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hi, this is my second fan fiction to be published here. My first one is a Struck By Lightning/Glee crossover "Lucky Strike" [you can find it here: .net(/)s(/)9371479(/)1(/)Lucky-Strike]. The idea of this story came from my silly mind that thought, what if Kurt and Marley were siblings? But then, I thought, no way! And then, I texted my friend about how they both looked like and we suddenly got an idea, "what if they both are cousins? and something's shocking connects them together?" dum, dum, dum... I just let the story speaks for itself. Please enjoy the story and tell me what you think :)**_

"Marley Rose?"

Marley Rose heard someone calling her name from the far. She was walking through the hallway when a man's voice shouted her name. She stopped in the middle of the crowded corridor. She wondered who that would be. The voice was quite familiar to her ears, but a name couldn't pop in her head. _Blaine? Jake? Ryder? _She guessed desperately. Then, Marley turned around to look the man behind the voice. She couldn't see anything; the hallway was filled with so many people, so she couldn't tell where the voice came from. She turned back around and wanted to continue her way, but suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder.

It was the man who called her moments ago. He cleared his throat and said, "Wait, Marley, wait." Marley glanced and saw a fine young man in a leather jacket and a pair of black tight pants. The man was older than her; she knew he was one of the grads who graduated just last year. From the shot of his sparkly green eyes, Marley knew he was a nice guy. But the question was, _why would Kurt Hummel want to meet Marley Rose like there was something urgent happening?_

"Hey." Marley greeted Kurt warmly. Kurt smiled, but his presence had nothing to do with greeting and saying hello. "Hey. I'm Kurt Hummel." He put out his hand and let Marley shook it. "Yeah, I know you. You're the legendary Kurt Hummel. Everybody talks about you here," Marley said, holding her textbooks tightly on her chest. "Hmm, and you must be Blaine's boyfriend, right? He told me a lot of good things about you." She continued. Kurt sighed, _only if things weren't different from the past and I could still call him my boyfriend. _"Yeah, good to know. B-but, that's actually not my intention for coming back to McKinley," Kurt stammered. "I – I – there is something that I need to talk to you. In private. With your mom. Would you like to come with me?" Marley's facial expression suddenly turned worry. _What's happening with mom? Is she okay? _Questions popped inside her head, but she kept all of them unanswered. Right after Kurt gave his hand to Marley and let her hold it; Kurt dragged Marley to cross the hallway to the other side of the school. They kept running through the hallway without thinking that if they ran faster they would hurt students who were passing next to them. And their journey ended inside the school kitchen – right where Marley's mom usually worked.

Kurt and Marley found Millie Rose sitting still in front of the supply closet. Her face wasn't as cheerful as it used to be. In fact, tears slowly streamed down Millie's face and she stared blankly at the floor. Marley quickly hugged her mom tightly to calm her down. She didn't know what happened; everything went so weird since the first time the blue eyes beauty arrived at school. Her mother kept refusing Marley to help her preparing lunch for students at school. "No, no, it's okay, I can do it myself." Millie kept saying that every time Marley wanted to prepare the ingredients or cleaning the kitchen appliances that her mother used for cooking. Marley sighed, her mother didn't want any help but her face looked very tired and sorrowful. "Mom, I think you're tired. Don't you want to take a rest or something? Or, I can make you a cup of tea?" Marley asked, smiling. But there was no use; her mom shook her head disagree. "M, I think you should go to your class. And don't bother me if I don't ask for your help – _I can do it myself."_ Marley's heart broke. _Yeah, maybe she's right; I'll just leave her alone, _Marley thought. She smiled faintly, and then grabbed her books and bag. When she wanted to kiss her mom's cheeks, Millie refused and tried to avoid Marley's glance. Marley left in confusion.

From first period until recess, Marley kept asking herself – _what's wrong with my mom?_ Her mom was never like this to her. She kept hiding something behind Marley's back that made her curious. Marley couldn't concentrate while studying, she kept thinking about her mom. _Is it something that I've done? _Marley thought. Marley's stomach was squishy; she had a bad feeling about what was happening.

And now was this – Millie was crying and Marley had no idea what was happening. Kurt stared at the pair of mother and daughter. Millie was crying in Marley's arms and Marley kept rubbing her mom's back to make her relax. Kurt crossed his arms on his chest and his eyes started to get watery. He couldn't stand it; beside the jealousy he had for seeing Marley with her mother – the bonding he never had with his deceased mother – he had to keep the meeting and _the big announcement _short and clear.

Kurt cleared his throat and Marley realized that she had to stop hugging Millie, so Kurt could get down to the business. "Marley? We have something to tell you." Kurt said. Kurt and Millie exchanged glances, signaling each other to get ready. "Hmm," Millie wasn't ready to tell her daughter the announcement, but she had to. To calm herself down, Millie held Marley's both hands and smiled. The fear of knowing was circling around Marley's face. Millie rubbed the girl's hair gently until she was relaxed. "Kurt and I have something to talk to you," Millie continued. "For the last 16 years, I've been keeping this secret safely and now I'd like to share it to you," Marley nodded, she was ready for anything. After a long pause, Millie finally told her the truth, _"I'm not your mother."_

Millie and Kurt knew this announcement would turn Marley upside down. She was speechless, no word uttered from her lips. Marley's heart beat faster than ever. When she thought she would ready for this, she was wrong – dead wrong. Marley wasn't ready, she felt like she just got dumped from her own life. _So, all this time I'm not a Rose? Why is she telling me this? Is she going to kick me out from her life forever? _Marley's head couldn't digest the right information at the moment. She needed a moment to calm her down. She gulped, and then said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you. I'm sorry for the last 16 years that you wasted for me. I'm sorry for being a bad daughter for you. _I'm sorry." _Marley couldn't stop saying sorry. Millie quickly hugged her adopted daughter tightly as soon as she kneeled down in front of Millie. "Hush… it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. In fact, I'm happy for being your mother. I've got the best daughter in the world." Millie smiled faintly and kissed Marley's forehead and cheeks. She could feel Marley's tears fell down one by one and her eyes got watery and watery. "Does that mean you kick me out of the house?" Marley asked, pulling herself out from the hug. _Do I have to find my real mother and start a life with her? What if she doesn't accept me? _Marley bit her lower lip, waiting for Millie's answer. She shook her head and said, "No, you're always welcome here. After all, you're my one and only daughter, right?" Millie smiled faintly. She didn't want to lose her daughter after she told her the truth. She still loved Little Rosy no matter what.

Marley was now confused. Did she have to ask Millie about her biological mother? She didn't have enough guts to ask her the question. Her stomach felt squishy, just like the one she had in the morning. _Should I or shouldn't I? _"Mom, can I ask you something?" Marley asked. The way she called Millie mom made Millie's heart skipped a beat. She thought Marley would never call her mom ever again. "Anything, _darl." _ It was short for _darling. _Marley wiped her tears and inhaled, and when she was ready she finally said it. _"Who is she? Do I know her?" _ The word 'she' referred to her biological mother. After all, Marley needed to know. "She happens to be my aunt Mildred. She's from my mother's side. Ever since my mom died, we never spoke. But for you, I'll try." Kurt smiled warmly. Marley glanced at Millie; she looked devastated, but she tried to hide it with a smile. "Do you want to meet her? This young man will take you to her." Said Millie, pointing at Kurt. Kurt waved a hand at them. Marley looked down, she wasn't ready for this. This went faster than she thought. She thought she would drive miles away to look for her mother, but no – she knew her name, she knew who would guide her to her mother. She needed to know this Mildred woman; she wanted to know why she left her own daughter – was it for a good thing or a bad thing? If it was for a good thing, Marley felt relieved. But, what if it was worse? What if all this time she was an unwanted child, the result of a forbidden love? Maybe Mildred wanted to do an abortion, but she refused to because she wanted to keep Marley alive. Marley thought too much. She didn't know what she was going to face, but she kept guessing something awful would happen to her. "I think I should leave you two for a talk, I'll be serving lunch if you need me." Millie said, leaving to the cafeteria. Marley looked at her watch, it was 12.00 pm already, she missed 2 classes but she didn't care. Marley sat on the wooden chair Millie sat before, worried. She was a mess. She didn't know her high school life would be so hard. It was like a hit on her head – it hurt, she felt like she was in a nightmare. She wanted to wake up as soon as possible, but she couldn't. There was something that held her back to sit and continue to enjoy what her unconscious mind had to offer. But when she woke up, things went differently and she got back to be herself – _she wanted to wake up. _She didn't want to be in that dream anymore. But, she had to face the shit in life. She had to meet Mildred for an explanation no matter what – even though she didn't want to accept her own daughter.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Kurt pulled another wooden chair and sat right next to Marley. He stared at Marley closely; she was deep in thought and didn't glance at Kurt a bit. And a few seconds later, Marley finally said a word, "I don't know if I can do this." Kurt patted Marley by her shoulder gently and smiled warmly. "Shh… no one's forcing you to do this," Kurt replied, "If you're not ready to meet her, then we'll just have to wait until you're finally ready." Marley drowned her face into her palms and started crying. Kurt rubbed her back until her cry got better – _but it never got better_. "I'M READY, BUT I –"Marley screamed then wiped her tears with bare hands. "—afraid?" Kurt finished her word. She nodded. Finally, Kurt found the missing piece to how Marley felt. Still rubbing Marley's back, Kurt listened to Marley's explanation. "I – I'm afraid that things will get worse after this. I'm afraid that she, Mildred, won't accept me. What if I'm just a one-night-stand kid? And she had pity for me, so she just kept me alive? And what about mom? Will she still accept me for who I am? What if I lose both; I don't get mom, I don't get Mildred, and they just let me suffer for the rest of my life? I'm afraid of the risks, Kurt." Marley cried harder. Kurt couldn't leave her alone in grief. "Shh… you've got me, okay? You've got me. And whatever you will face, I will face it, too. You're my cousin and you're like a little sister to me now. We'll face everything together." Kurt hugged Marley tightly. Marley could feel the warmth in Kurt's body which calmed her down. Slowly but sure, Marley pushed away Kurt and nodded. "I never knew how it felt to have a big brother before since I'm an only child, but you make me feel like I have one that can guide me through everything. You give me the brotherly love I didn't get before. And hearing your amazing story about how you faced bullies and your New York dreams makes me wonder, _if he can, why can't I? _Maybe New York and Broadway aren't my things since all I want to be is a recording artist and make top 40 hits, but you inspire me." Marley said. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy. She wasn't a crybaby anymore; she was optimistic and ready to face the world. "See? You and I aren't so different. We both want to make it in the entertainment business and we both have desires to make it big. Glad you feel the same way, sister." Kurt said. Marley giggled after hearing Kurt calling her sister. No one ever called her that before and now she had to hear the nickname all the time since Kurt would call her that way from now on.

All this time she didn't hug back, but now she let the chance. She hugged Kurt back and said, "Thank you. I don't know if I can actually face it alone, but there are you. I don't know how we get this close, but thank you for being here for me." "Anytime, dear, anytime." Kurt said, drowning his face on Marley's shoulder. He never had the connection to this kind of situation, but he was touched. He was touched by the way Millie told Marley the truth, he was touched by how they were so close and by telling Marley that she wasn't Millie's kid hurt him. He was touched by Marley's fear of what was going to happen to her and what would she face. He was touched by the fact that he had one duty to finish; getting a mother and a daughter to meet each other.

After Kurt and Marley finished hugging, Kurt grabbed his phone. "Hmm, can I have your number? In case if you change your mind and you're finally ready for the search." Kurt asked. Marley smiled faintly and answered, "Sure." She gave him her number. "Thanks." Kurt thanked her. Then, he walked to the exit to come home and meet his father, Burt, after weeks of not seeing each other after his last visit.

_"Hey!" _Marley exclaimed at Kurt.

He turned around and said, "Yes?" "How long will you stay in Lima? I know you have college and stuff in New York and I'm afraid that this will affect your daily activities there." Marley asked. "I'll be here for a month. I'm taking a break, you know, homesick." Kurt answered, and then giggled. Marley smiled. Then, Kurt headed to the door as Marley looking at him happily. She was happy because there was someone who willed to help her without expecting anything in return. Kurt was like a savior, an angel. He was like an angel sent from above to help Marley go through her tough life. Marley felt so close to everything he was.

_Could he be a real angel?_

* * *

Kurt was heading to the exit of the school when someone called him from behind. "KURT!" it was a recognizable voice. He turned around and saw who was coming. It was Blaine Anderson. He wore a white sweater, red bow tie, and red pants. He didn't forget to gel his curly dark hair. His look was a kryptonite to Kurt. _Was. _Right after they broke up in New York because of a so-called third wheel, things were very different. They never spoke. They never looked at each other. They never asked each other's condition. It was a reversed situation, comparing to the relationship they had for years. They had built their own love castle, but then they destroyed it into pieces because of an irrational reason. They thought they could fix everything and restart again, but there was no chance. They loved each other, they really did. Kurt's heart still skipped a beat right after Blaine called his name. They couldn't deny their desires for having each other, but they were ashamed to admit it. They were afraid of getting hurt and stumbled. It was better so walk their separate ways.

"Kurt, wait!" Blaine ran to Kurt. He stopped and controlled his breath. Until he could breathe normally, Blaine asked, "Can I talk to you for a sec?" Kurt's eyes widened. He never expected Blaine would ask him to have a conversation. Without hesitation, Kurt answered, "Yeah, yeah, sure."

Blaine walked Kurt to an empty classroom. The classroom was the silent witness of the last goodbye for Kurt before he graduated. They remembered the last time both of them were there; they were holding hands, talking heart-to-heart without taking their eyes off each other.

_"Do you wanna know how I picture the end of my life? Just like in The Notebook. I'm sitting in a nursing home talking endlessly about my high school sweetheart, my first love, going on and on about every detail as if they matter. Only in my version, he's there with me…"_

They remembered that quote as if it just happened yesterday. Right after they arrived in the room, they took seats; facing at each other, just like the last time they went there – only they didn't hold hands, they still felt awkward about it. "So, here we are – just like the old times." Kurt said. Blaine smirked and nodded, "Yeah, the old times." Kurt looked at Blaine's face; he looked down, ashamed, and guilty at the same time. "Hey, what's going on?" Kurt asked. Blaine looked up and faked a smile, "Um, nothing. I'm just – I'm just happy to see you. _I miss you,_" Blaine's deep hazel eyes were watery, he was about to cry. Kurt couldn't help it; he held Blaine's clenched hands and rubbed them with both of his thumbs. Blaine was happy to get the affection he needed. Then, he continued, "You know that I'm missing you like crazy and it hurts? Every day I imagine myself being held inside your arms, just to feel your warm embrace, and then I realize that I don't have you by my side. You're there, in New York, reaching your dreams and goals, and I can't stop you – and I won't." hearing what Blaine just said, Kurt was touched. He didn't know all this time Blaine missed him. Only if he knew, he would spend more time together with him. Kurt didn't think about how awkward would that be, he just wanted to comfort Blaine – body and soul.

Kurt smiled and patted Blaine's shoulder. "Hey, I'm right here, okay? I'll be in Lima for a month and maybe we could hang out a bit. You know, drinking coffee, like we used to." Hearing that, Blaine suddenly became so cheerful. His eyes shined like a puppy with a new toy. "Thank you. That way we could fix _our _relationship." Blaine said. Kurt was speechless; that was the first time Blaine ever said he wanted to fix their relationship. He didn't know the man also wanted both of them to get back. Kurt stammered, "I — I — I think so, yeah," they went silent for seconds, until Kurt had the guts to admit something. _"Blaine, I still love you." _Blaine's ears perked up, he was surprised. "I beg your pardon?" Blaine replied. Kurt nodded, it would be so embarrassing for him to say 'I love you' if Blaine didn't feel the same for him. Kurt wanted to take his words back, but how? He prepared for Blaine's answer — no matter how great or ridiculous it would be. Kurt gulped and said, "I know I'm seeing someone in New York — sort of — but, I just — you were the one who took my breath away for the first time and I won't forget that. You're the first one that I love so much and you're the first one to make sure you're the one. _My soulmate_. Every day, in front of a mirror, I look up to myself and I feel my reflection whispering to me, '_he's the one. Go. Get. Him'," _Kurt almost shed a tear, but he tried to hold it. Blaine was stunned, _he didn't know Kurt felt the same way for him. _"Say something. Please." Kurt begged Blaine to give his opinion. Blaine tried to string a few words, but his mind was scrambled. "I don't know what to say." Kurt was disappointed. He knew it wouldn't work out. He knew their relationship would never be fixed. He knew they would break up for real. "I understand." Kurt said, almost whispering. He was in a deep funk, _only if he never said that._

Kurt got up from his seat. He couldn't hold the embarrassment any longer. He needed to walk away and forget the conversation they both had. But before Kurt could reach the door, Blaine grabbed Kurt's arm. "Wait!" Blaine exclaimed. Kurt turned around to look at Blaine for the last time — he thought. Kurt's eyes were swollen from holding his cry too long. Blaine was sorry for what he said. He knew he shouldn't say that he didn't know — because he knew. _"I still love you, too," _Blaine confessed. He was glad he could see the sunshine inside Kurt's eyes; he was no longer sad, in fact he was very joyful. "I didn't know what to say because I was afraid of what you were going to think. I'm also seeing someone here," Blaine said. Kurt's heart almost broke into pieces when he heard Blaine telling him he was seeing another man, but then Blaine continued. "But, it's just a crush and I bet he will never fall for me. But with you, it's not just a crush that I feel for you — it's more like _true love_. Everyday, I try to forget you and my past, but I can't. It feels like you're killing me softly, even if you don't have a solid weapon or something — _your love is the weapon and my heart is the target. _You got me begging for your love." Kurt was flattered. He never knew Blaine would be so desperately in love for him, just like this.

Suddenly, Blaine walked closer to Kurt. He gently leaned in and kissed Kurt's lips. It started as a peck on the lips, but then they were carried away. Blaine put his hands on Kurt's jaws while deepening his kiss. Kurt oepened his lips and let Blaine explore Kurt's mouth with his tongue. They kissed passionately and fiercely for a few seconds.

Blaine didn't want to let Kurt go. He didn't want his lover to leave. He had to do something to make Kurt stay. So, Blaine ran his hands through Kurt's body and ended up touching his waist and started to kiss Kurt's neck. Blaine could feel Kurt's body shivering and got hard on. He knew this was what Kurt wanted. Kurt moaned softly, he didn't want people to start gathering in front of the room just to watch they boys got heavy in the classroom. "Gosh, you always know the best way to please me." Kurt moaned. Blaine said, still kissing Kurt's neck, "I just ont want you to leave me again, that's all."

Just before Blaine could slide his hand into Kurt's pants to grope his ass, his phone buzzed. It was a text message. They stopped the heavy make out session and Blaine turned to his phone. Kurt licked the upper part of his lips to feel the heavenly taste of Blaine's lips once again.

_"Hey, sugar. Ready to play slave&mas tomorrow night? Let's see who will conquer who ;)"_

Blaine's jaw dropped and so his dignity. Kurt happened to be reading the message next to him, stunned. He frowned and looked at Blaine furiously. Blaine didn't want Kurt to leave again just because of the jealousy after reading the text message from Eli C, Blaine's sweetest escape. Blaine wished he ignored the text message instead of reading it. He was ashamed and guilty. Now the chance for him to get Kurt back decreased.

After reading the text, Kurt felt he just jumped off a cliff. His heart couldn't beat normally. He was shocked, mad, and disappointed. He couldn't take anymore lies from Blaine. He thought Blaine was changed for the better, but no. He was lying all the time. The kiss meant nothing because Blaine had another heavy petting to do and another desire to please.

"Kurt, please, let me explain —" before Blaine could complete his word, Kurt stopped him. Kurt couldn't hold his tears and pain any longer. He took a step away from Blaine and said angrily, "Just stop. I've had enough! _You'll go back to him and I'll go back to black."_ Kurt ran away to the school exit. Blaine couldn't stop him because Kurt already faded away with the crowd on the hallway. Blaine hit his head to the door, crying, and thought to himself, _how can I be so dumb?_

**_Thank you for reading and let me know what you think :) Don't be shy..._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: For your information, I'm picturing Mildred as Anne Hathaway, because she is a flawless princess and I love her and Ryan Murphy once told the public at the Globes that she would be on Glee-which never happened until now, unfortunately. So, Please enjoy the second chapter :)**_

_**Ps: I'm really bad at self-promoting, but please kindly review and please visit my Tumblr .com. I have fan fictions that I publish there, just check out on the links :) thank you**_

Kurt hadn't gone to McKinley for three days. He hadn't heard anything from Marley, so it'd be better for him to stay away from the school. Another reason why he didn't go to that school because he was avoiding Blaine. He didn't want to see Blaine, not after what happened to both of them. Kurt didn't want to scratch his heart and leave one more scar. He had enough. But, he promised Marley to find her biological mother, so he wouldn't leave for New York and stayed in Lima for more days. In the meantime, Kurt tried to find things to do in his spare time; for example, helping his dad, Burt, in his tire shop and went window shopping at Lima Square to relieve his stress.

"Hey, dad, what can I do for you?" Kurt said, entering his dad's shop and kissing his dad's cheek. Burt was fixing a customer's tire — it needed more air. Kurt was smiling cheerfully. He didn't want his dad to know what just happened with him and Blaine. He was also afraid if he entered the shop angrily, his dad would be very worry and he might get a heart attack. "Could you give me that tube, please?" Burt asked his son to give him an air tube to fill the tire with more air. Kurt gave him the tube and waited for his dad to finish filling in the air until he could put back the tube. "So, how was your short trip to McKinley? I knew you missed your school so much and you wanted a little reunion with your high school peeps." Burt asked. Kurt, who was sitting on one of the kit table, answered, "It was great. I got to meet my old friends and I could tell people more stories about me in New York." _He lied. _Reunion wasn't his main intention to visit McKinley – _it was Marley. _He only wanted to help the girl finding her real mother who turned out to be his aunt. But, he didn't want Burt to know his real purpose because Burt had a very bad relationship with his sister-in-law.

* * *

After Kurt's mother, Elizabeth, died, Burt's relationship with Elizabeth's family was not so good. First, they were so close; Elizabeth's dad, Jim, even called Burt his son. But as the time went by, Burt became the one to blame for Elizabeth's death. She died because of a car accident. She drove in the middle of the night, alone, going through a dark hill. No one knew she was going out that night, not even Burt or Kurt. They knew she left the morning after, right after they got a call from a police officer. _"We're really sorry to tell you that your wife just had an accident and we couldn't help her because she was badly injured." _That moment, Burt was sure he was about to have a heart attack. But, he stayed calm and replied, "Thank you, officer. We're on our way to the scene." Then, he hung up the phone.

Eight year-old Kurt Hummel barely knew anything about the accident. He kept listening to his father's conversation with the police and by the time Burt hung up the phone, Kurt ran to his father and hugged him tightly. Burt tried to hold his tears, but he still shed a tear from his coral blue eyes. Hearing his dad was crying, Kurt couldn't hold his emotion any longer. He cried on his dad's shoulder. "Dad, you can cry if you want to. My shoulder is always here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on." Kurt said making his dad proud of the way Kurt took the tragic news. Kurt was mature in dealing this situation. He knew he had to deal this situation like a grown up. Burt caressed Kurt's hair and said, "Thank you, son."

Kurt and Burt went to the crime scene to look for Elizabeth's body. As soon as they arrived, Burt got out his car to talk to police officers who were still investigating the crime scene. Burt told Kurt to stay inside the car, but he never told him the reason why. Maybe his dad wanted to keep him safe and sound and stay out of this business, Kurt thought. The fact that they were in the crime scene couldn't solve an untold mystery – why couldn't Kurt and Burt see Elizabeth's body? The paramedics had taken the body to the nearest hospital, but no one told them about that. And just as Kurt and Burt arrived at the hospital, the doctor said the family had taken the body for the funeral procession. _Whose family? _Maybe it was Jim's plan to keep his daughter away from her husband and son. No one contacted Burt for the funeral; no one ever invited Burt and Kurt to the funeral. It was a mystery. But gladly, Elizabeth's family still allowed both of them to visit Elizabeth's grave.

One time, Burt tried to find a clear explanation about Elizabeth's death from Elizabeth's sister, Mildred. Instead of finding the missing puzzle piece, Mildred refused to talk about her sister. She was using a drug, Burt understood. But, he only needed one reason to explain everything. "Just give me one reason why you didn't let us come to the funeral. Are you guys hiding something?" Burt begged. Mildred, who was sipping marijuana, answered, "It's because you killed her," "Excuse me?" Burt said, shocked. "I wasn't even there! I was at my house, sleeping." "But you let her to leave, didn't you? I knew it. You were trying to kill her because you wanted half of her money. Well, guess what, hillbilly? You won't and you never will." Said Mildred, twirling her cigar with her finger, then took a sip of her tequila. Her words clearly offended Burt. He couldn't let a drug addict like Mildred crushed his mind and ruined his life.

Burt clenched his fist and stood up from his seat, wanting to punch Mildred's face, but he tried to hold it before he had to deal with his own anger management issue. "I didn't know she left the house, for God sake! I thought she went to the bathroom or something." Mildred slanted her eyes doubtfully and asked, "Bathroom? Really? For more than an hour? What did you think she was doing, huh? Don't play stupid with me, Hummel." Burt's ears were burning hell when he heard all the hates that Mildred threw at him. He had enough. "Maybe I'm stupid, but I'm not dumb. I know something is up, Mil. What are you guys hiding? Why are you guys doing this?" Burt said furiously. Mildred rolled her eyes. She thought there was nothing to tell to Burt anymore. He needed to leave whatsoever. "We're not hiding anything. It was you all the time. Why do you care so much, Burt? You can go find another girl to fuck with, for all I care. I'm sorry, but I think you need to leave." She said. Burt got angrier. He had to stand up for himself. He said, "It's because I love her. I love her very much and that is something that you can't feel, missy. You can't feel it because you never have a true love. I found my true love and I need to know every single thing about her. I'm sorry, but I can't leave without getting what I want." Burt became very strict and Mildred was cornered. She was speechless. When it came to true love, Mildred had nothing to say. She never had a true love because she never tried to find one. Her relationship always ended right after the dawn came. She was miserable, indeed.

It was an awkward 4 seconds of silence until Mildred came to say, "Fine, I'll tell you," Mildred let out a big sigh. "It was Jim's idea to part you guys. He never allowed Liz to marry you. When he said yes to you and Liz's decision to get married, he was lying to himself. He was halfhearted. He wish he could do something to separate you guys, until he got an idea — _and this was the idea," _Mildred took a sip of her smoke to calm herself down. Burt furrowed, he thought Mildred's explanation was nonsense. "Wait, I don't understand. So, this is a murder attempt? How could Jim do such a thing to his own daughter?" Questions and questions kept popping inside Burt's head, waiting for Mildred to answer all of them. Mildred shrugged, "He has a..." Mildred pointed her head, gesturing, "Mental problem. We haven't found a way to cure him. Every time he wants something, he has to get it no matter what. He wanted to separate you guys, he had to do it no matter what — _even the death was the price." _Burt could see Mildred's tears were falling down on her soft cheeks. He could see Mildred's vulnerable side. But in just a flash, Mildred erased her tears and came back to her own self. "But still, you're the one to blame for Liz's death." Mildred stared Burt coldly. Burt couldn't take the accuse. He didn't kill his wife. He had no idea Jim had a mental issue and turned to be a psychopath. He didn't know a single thing. "I didn't kill her! Her father is a sick man! You're accusing for something that I didn't do and that is against the law!" Burt yelled furiously than ever. Mildred only closed her ears with both hands. She didn't want to hear a thing from Burt. She wanted this to over as soon as possible. "But if you didn't marry Liz, he would haven't gone mad and kill his own daughter." Mildred replied coldly. She still had her deadly stare at Burt. Burt shook his head. He wanted to punch Mildred, but that only made him a chicken. He had to stand up by his own words, not by his own fist. Burt tried to pick good words to defend himself. He didn't want to fall into the same hole all over again. "You're Elizabeth's elder and only sister, right?" Burt asked Mildred. Mildred avoided Burt's eyes, but then she glanced and nodded. "Then, you know how did she feel about me all the time, right? Tell me, how did she feel about me." Burt asked again. Mildred gulped, flashbacks shot Mildred's brain and forced her to turn back to the time when both Mildred and Elizabeth became close sisters.

Mildred and Elizabeth Crystal were sisters who inherited their deceased mother's beauty. They looked like Hollywood heroines in the golden age era. During adolescence time, Mildred and Elizabeth shared so many tips to each other from beauty tips to guy-guide. Mildred remembered one time she and Liz went for a walk at the park, she caught her little sister eyeing on a guy in a baseball cap and flanel shirt. "He's cute." Elizabeth said to her sister. Mildred, teasingly, elbowed Elizabeth and smirked. "You like him, don't you?" Mildred raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth, who was madly in love with a stranger she met in a park, blushed. Her cheeks were as red as pomegranates — now we know where did Kurt get his tomato red blushing cheeks. Mildred elbowed Elizabeth for the second time, glancing at Elizabeth's crush, and said, "Go talk to him. It's now or never." Elizabeth bit her lower lip shyly. She never talked to a guy before — except during class projects, then yes. But, it was different. She was going to talk to a man who would probably become her companion. And if she was lucky, that guy would be her companion for life.

Elizabeth bravely took a step away from Mildred and approached the man who was standing a few feet away in front of her. "Hi." Elizabeth greeted the man who was now looking at her, surprised. She couldn't forget his shining blue eyes, which were perfectly match to her shining green eyes. By the time they looked into each other's eyes and the way they smiled to each other, Elizabeth knew he was the one she was looking for. "Hi." The man greeted back. Elizabeth wanted to shake the man's hand, but the man refused. "I don't want your hand to get dirty." The man said, glancing at his right hand which was holding a toolbox. Elizabeth smiled, _what a gentleman he is. _"Hmm, I haven't got your name. Mine's Elizabeth. Liz for short." Elizabeth said, blushing. The man raised an eyebrow and said, "Pretty. I'm Burt." The man said shortly. Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat right after she found out her crush's name. She wanted to soar high to the sky, but she had to keep her cool so she wouldn't fall hard to the ground. Elizabeth giggled, she didn't know what to say or do. She slid a lock of her blonde hair to the back of her ear, signaling that she was nervous. "Hmm, I'll see you around, Burt." Elizabeth waved a hand at Burt and left. She counted 1, 2, 3, until Burt called her name. "Elizabeth!" She liked the way Burt cried out her name. She could hear it all day, all night. "Yes?" Elizabeth turned around. Her heart skipped even faster and butterflies inside her stomach just had mating season that made them to fly around crazily. "I was thinking maybe we could have dinner sometimes?" Burt asked. Elizabeth nodded directly and answered, "Yeah, I'd love to. But, my dad is pretty psyched up about curfew. Just get me home before 10 and you'll be safe." Burt threw two thumbs up in the air, agreed. "But I don't know where you live." Elizabeth pleasantly ran back to Burt and took a pen inside Burt's shirt pocket. Burt's heart almost dropped gleefully right after Elizabeth did that. Then, the girl wrote her address on Burt's palm and winked flirtatiously. "Pick me up at 7." She said. Burt couldn't forget how Elizabeth's sensual lips were painted on her perfect face. She was perfect inside-out, Burt knew it. "7 it is." Burt replied, winked back. Then, Elizabeth ran back to her sister, Mildred, who was watching them all this time.

Like a hurricane that stormed out Mildred from one memory to another, now she pictured the exact event that happened between her and Elizabeth. She remembered the way Elizabeth suddenly barged into her room, just to talk about the love of her life. "That Burt guy is really nice," Elizabeth said to her sister, blushing. "Yeah, you know, you two get along so well. I bet you guys like each other." Mildred elbowed her sister teasingly, who was picking petals off a rose and mouthing 'he loves me, he loves me not'. Elizabeth wasn't fully sure about Burt's feeling to her. She knew she was in love, but was he too?

Right after she finally cut off all the petals, Elizabeth looked down. Mildred rubbed her sister's back reassuringly. She said, "Well, why don't you ask him? That way you know he's in love with you or not." A warm smiled painted beautifully on Mildred's face, making Elizabeth sure about the path she would take. Elizabeth trashed the rose stem to the floor of Mildred's room and hugged her sister tightly. "Thanks, sist. You just made me sure about my own decision." She said.

The following day, Elizabeth asked Burt for a brunch at Breadstix. Before it turned into a poisonous pasta restaurant, Breadstix was a nice café which sold bakery — and most importantly, bread in stick form. They ate delicious strawberry cheesecakes, which turned out to be both favorite. Right after they finished their meals, Elizabeth and Burt finally had a serious talk.

"Burt, what is my best feature?" Elizabeth asked curiously, putting her chin above her clenched hands.

Without hesitation, Burt answered, "_Is _isn't enough to describe your millions best features. First of all, you're really beautiful. I've never seen a pretty girl like you. Second, you're really smart. Your knowledge about this and that amazes me. And third, your kindness. You're very kind and polite to people. And you always make me feel like I'm the luckiest guy on Earth when you go out with me."

Elizabeth blushed hard. She was flattered. She never had someone complimented her this meaningful, especially when the person was her crush. She blinked a few times, trying to convince her that she was still in the real world, then said, "I'm flattered, really." She gave the prettiest smile at Burt.

Elizabeth played with her fingers until Burt asked back, "What is my best feature, Liz?" Elizabeth's eyes opened widely, she already waited for this moment. She already had the perfect words to answer Burt's question. "The way you can convince me that you're the one and only man that I want. You're perfect, everything in you is perfect. You indirectly convince me every morning that you're my soulmate and I have to get you no matter what. Your blue eyes are my kryptonite. Your sweet talk and the way you treat me ladylike drive me crazy." Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She was happy she could finally utter her answer. She felt like she just let out something that weighed inside her mind.

Hearing Elizabeth's answer, Burt looked down guiltily. He felt like he didn't deserve those answers. "But, I'm just a small town man. You're an honorable lady. Your face defines true beauty and is something more than a celebrity like Grace Kelly had," Burt said, "Why did you choose me?" Elizabeth ran her hand through her blonde hair and answered, "I didn't choose you — _but love chose you," _Burt's eyes shined brighter than ever. If the power of love was really that strong, both of them could do anything to declare their love — even if they had to paint the whole town with their true feelings for each other. Elizabeth took Burt's hands and held them firmly with both her hands. She locked her eyes to Burt's, so there was no way he could glance at another side, then said, "Besides, I'm a small town girl myself. _Remember that when two small things come together, they will make one great big thing." _Elizabeth smiled. _This is it, _she thought, _If no one makes a move, then I'll have to make a move._ Elizabeth stood from her seat and leaned in to Burt. She nuzzled her nose with his and brushed her lips slowly. Their lips met, creating a sweet romantic kiss. They didn't get carried away and turned it into a passionate one, instead they kept kissing slowly but meaningful. It lasted for several seconds until Elizabeth pulled her lips back and said, _"Do you love me?"_ Burt, who was stunned by what just happened, blinked his eyes a few times. He took a deep breath after the event that took him away into a magical reality and said,_ "Until my body is separated with my soul."_

When Elizabeth came home from her lovely brunch, she went straight to Mildred who was preparing lunch in the kitchen. She hugged Mildred firmly until Mildred couldn't breathe. "Mildred, Mildred, he loves me!" Elizabeth shouted. Mildred strangled herself from Elizabeth, so she could speak properly. "What? No way! What did he say?" Elizabeth told Mildred every detail of their marvelous date, until they kissed and they declared their love. Mildred's eyes were shining just as Elizabeth explained the whole thing. She was happy to see her own little sister happy. She was proud that finally her own little sister could feel what it was called love. "That's great! I'm happy for you, too." But, there was disappointment in Mildred's tone. She tried to hide her face from Elizabeth and picked plates from the drawer. Elizabeth kept following her sister to ask what was wrong with her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you happy for me?" Elizabeth asked, still in her cheerful tone. Mildred smiled faintly at Elizabeth and answered, "Nothing," she tried to drive the conversation to another topic. "Hey, would you like to call dad for lunch? I bet he's starving." Elizabeth took Mildred's hand and didn't let her go at any chance. She shook her head and said, "I'm not leaving until you tell me what is going on." Mildred finally surrendered. She couldn't fight with her stubborn sister. Whenever Elizabeth wanted something, Mildred had to give in — or else, something bad would happen. Mildred sighed and said, "I'm happy for you two. I just — I don't know if I will get so much love from someone as much as you get from Burt. I'm not even sure if I have a true love!" Mildred put the plates that she took on the table, almost shed a tear. Elizabeth rubbed her sister's back reassuringly and said, "I'm sure you will get a fine gentleman who wants to love you for who you are." This wasn't the kind of conversation that Mildred waited her whole life. She turned around to look at Elizabeth. Her eyes were very wet with tears and swollen. _"Elizabeth," _she said, almost whispering, _"I'm not even sure if I have feelings for guys."_

Elizabeth was surprised, _how come she never tells me she is lesbian?_

Elizabeth calmed Mildred down. She pulled chairs and asked her sister to sit down and have a talk. "Since when did you —?" Elizabeth asked. She didn't know how to talk about this because she didn't want Mildred to get offended by the way she asked about her private things. Mildred drowned her face into her palms shamefully and answered, "A month ago or so. I — I'm still not sure." "Have you told anyone about this?" Elizabeth asked again. This time, she grabbed Mildred's hands and held them tight. People said that way Mildred could be a little more relaxed. Mildred shook her head and looked down. Elizabeth knew Mildred was a private kind of girl who never talked about her issues. "I see. But, at least you could just tell me. I'll be by your side and we'll fix this problem together." Elizabeth said, smiling faintly. Mildred looked up to Elizabeth and said furiously, "But, you don't know how it feels, Liz! You don't know what it feels like to have people staring at you every time you walk in front of their houses and they think you are some kind of waste! You feel like you don't mean anything to this world and you feel like you want to die. You try every attempt to kill yourself, but you can't because the reality keeps reminding you that you have people who love you — your family — but turns out they never be there beside you." Mildred sobbed. All the words she said expressed enough how she felt all this time. She could feel the pain that hurt her chest slowly decreased and she got better. Elizabeth never knew her sister could have such a traumatizing experience as the one she just said. Elizabeth was guilty for not knowing what Mildred had to deal in her life. She said, "Hey, although I never feel it, doesn't mean I don't know how it feels. You're tortured. You feel left behind. You're on the edge of your life. And I have to help you in any way because you're my sister. We'll go through this together. We'll find the best way to overcome this situation. Just let me help you, okay? You can count on me. I'll be keeping your secret safe. I promise." Elizabeth put out her pinky finger and both of the girls declared a pinky swear. They hugged each other. Mildred felt safe and comfortable in Elizabeth's shoulder, and so did Elizabeth in Mildred's shoulder. "But, please don't tell dad about this? He'll be very mad and probably kick me out of the house." Mildred answered. She finally could smile brightly just like she used to. Elizabeth answered, "Yes, I won't tell him."

Only in a flash, Mildred was brought into another thrilling time travel to reality. She had one unanswered question — _ how did Elizabeth feel about Burt?_ "She was miserable, tortured. She was never happy with you. Her facial expression was nothing but gloomy and sorrowful." Mildred lied. She said that only because she didn't want to have anymore conversation with Burt. She was done. The truth was the opposite of everything Mildred said — and Burt already knew the truth for a very long time. "Fine," Burt said. He was tired to have more conversation with Mildred. Maybe that was it, maybe it was time for him to let Elizabeth go forever. When no one wanted to accept the fact that he still loved Elizabeth, might as well he didn't have to mention the fact at all. "I'll stay out of this forever. I'll forget everything about me and her. Just say that we never had a thing." Burt disappointedly exited Mildred's residence. Mildred didn't escort him to the door, instead she just stood up and rethought what happened. She cried, she wished the situation wasn't as rough as it truly was. She wished she could fix everything. She wished she could be the Mildred in the past — the lovingly, caring, happy Mildred who was happy for her sister's relationship and never had jealousy for her.

* * *

Still at Burt's tire shop, Kurt was left alone. Burt had some engine shopping, so Kurt was in charge. He never touched car engines for so long, he doubted if he could remember all the parts and functions. In New York, he usually traveled alone in public transportation and left his black SUV in Lima.

Kurt thought, _what's wrong with helping dad's work? _So, he decided to help Burt's work while he was out for buying spare parts. He opened his leather jacket and boots, left him nothing but a black undershirt and trousers. Kurt saw a Mustang which was ready for a tire change. He quickly took out the spare tire and the jack, then raised the jack until it is supporting the car perfectly. After that, Kurt started to remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts by turning them. He pumped the jack to lift the tire off the ground, then removed the nuts and the tire. He placed the spare tire on the hub and tightened the nuts by his hand until they were all snug. And finally, Kurt lowered the car and removed the jack. It was an easy job, but long time not doing that exhausted Kurt a little bit. He took his dad's towel to clean his hands and sweat — it smelled like hard work and fatherly love — and just by the time he was finished, Marley Rose suddenly made an appearance in his dad's tire shop.

"I don't know you're into automotive stuff." Marley said surprisingly. Kurt quickly tossed the towel to the car roof and giggled, "Not many people know me very well, I guess." He said. He smirked and Marley replied it by smiling faintly. "You're a very mysterious guy, aren't you?" Marley said, making Kurt raised an eyebrow. She walked closer to where Kurt was standing. "If you consider a guy who goes all out about everything, then yes." Kurt replied with his high-pitched voice. He knew how to make his cousin laughed.

It was Marley's first time to visit Hummel's Tire Shop. Maybe this was going to be her routine for the next few days — or weeks — until she could finally meet her real mother, Mildred. She kinda enjoyed being in the tire shop. She finally knew why guys loved to spend their time in the tire shop — _Man, it looks like a friggin' playground for men. _"How did you know where I am?" Kurt asked. Marley, who was twirling a crowbar like Harry Potter's wand, answered, "Blaine told me," _Blaine, _Kurt thought disgustedly. "He said you're either at your house or your dad's shop. So, I went to your house, but it was empty. Turns out, your dad's shop is next to it, so I took a peek."

Marley sat on the table where Kurt sat before Burt left, while Kurt was returning the jack he used to the proper place. "So, why are you here?" Kurt said, still putting the jack into a cupboard. Marley swung her feet back and forth and answered, "I want to know more about Mildred before I finally get a chance to meet her." Kurt cleaned his hands with his dad's towel again, stunned. He knew it was a usual thing for someone who wanted to find out more about a particular person that he/she wanted to meet, but he didn't know how to explain such a thing to Marley. He still had a little information about Mildred. Well, he knew a lot from his passed away mother, but he hadn't had a research since then — he hadn't even known her today address. "Where do we start? Okay," Kurt sat next to Marley. He put the kit on the table aside, then jumped to the top of the table and sat. "I've met her twice or three times. We met at family gathering, she was a bit introvert and I always saw her sitting by the balcony, drinking or smoking. But since my mom passed away the Hummels and the Crystals haven't communicated," He said. Marley only nodded while hearing Kurt's story. "So, my surname is Crystal?" Marley asked, her eyes widened. Kurt nodded. "But, I'm trying to find out more about her. Even if I have to sneak into dad's property to look for aunt Mil's address, as long as it helps, I'll do it," Kurt said. He smiled faintly at Marley, who suddenly furrowed and seemed to be confused. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked curiously. Marley looked down and shook her head confusedly, "If you have no idea about my mother, then how will you help me? I thought since you guys are relatives then you could make this search easier. Why would you want to help me?" This was the question Kurt was afraid to get. He wanted to help because he was eager to help. He had the urge to help that came out from inside his heart. He didn't know how did it come out, he still figured it out. But, the point was, he didn't expect anything in return from this search — it was based on the bonding Kurt and Marley had.

Kurt sighed, he didn't know how to explain his reason in helping Marley. "I guess it's because of what my heart said to myself. Like, by the time I helped Sam when he lived in a motel room with his parents and 2 younger siblings because his dad was fired — you weren't here yet — and I gave him my clothes. I asked to myself, _why? Why would I help Sam? _I guess that's what I'd like to call conscience." Marley was stunned by Kurt's answer. She never thought conscience could push someone to do great things or even the opposite, because she never listened to the sound of her own heart. Every time she was faced by two hard choices, she always let her brain to decide not her heart. Listening to Kurt's explanation made her realize that she needed to listen to her heart more often, especially when it came to find her real mother. She had to close her eyes, relax her mind, and ask to herself; _do I want to do this for real or not?_

Marley realized that she had been talking to herself and made Kurt staring at her confusedly. She asked again, "And what did your conscience say about me? About the intention to help me finding my own mother?" She raised her eyebrows, she needed a concrete answer. Kurt stared blankly at the opened garage door in front of him. His green eyes reflected the sunlight, turning his eyes color into beautiful pair of bluish jewels — they were beautiful. "Millie came to me. She said, 'I need your help'. I didn't know what was going on until she told me everything. She told me that she wanted to tell this to you, but she was afraid to tell it all by herself. She knew your real mother happened to be my aunt. She knew it pretty well, but I didn't. It was because I was so blind and deaf back then. I didn't want to give a fuck on everything the Crystals did, until I realized it was my mother's family. I need to help one of my mother's relatives. If my mother were here, I bet she would do the same," Kurt still didn't glance at Marley, but Marley was enthusiast to listen to every word Kurt said. "And when I saw you, I saw this gleaming light in your eyes. It was full of curiosity, dreams, heart break, I just wanted to help you. Your eyes screamed for help and I couldn't let that happen," Kurt closed his eyes and said, "So, I took a time to close my eyes, breathe, and drowned in my own consciousness. I asked to myself, 'If I help Millie, will I separate both of you?' But if I don't help her, it will be a disappointment. After all, sooner or later you will find this out by yourself and your need to understand. So, I finally agreed to help your mom to tell this to you." "Wow, that was — " Marley was speechless. It was too big to handle, she wasn't ready — but she had to know everything. " — I know. Your mom's really nice and she knows what's best for you." Kurt patted Marley's head like a puppy dog and smiled.

Kurt jumped off the table and started cleaning up the shop. Marley watched Kurt all the way from the table. "So, when do we start?" Marley asked. Kurt kept wiping the dirt on the tire display shelf and answered, "As soon as possible. I'm ready anytime, are you?" Marley played with her feet and stared at them for quite second. Then, she said, "Well, I think we should start around this week. What about tomorrow? You'll start searching Mildred's files and call me when you get it." Marley started planning on the strategy and Kurt agreed. "Sure, tomorrow it is." Not long before Kurt said anymore words, Burt came in. _"What will happen tomorrow? And who's this?" _Burt pointed at Marley, who directly jumped off her seat and shook Burt's hand. "I'm Marley, sir." "She's a sophomore in McKinley," Kurt added, now looking at his dad. "We're planning on... Um... A makeover! Tomorrow, yeah. She needs my advice on how to make it big in the City, so later she will take her own step to be a great singer. And makeover is the first step to make it big. You have to be good looking to be famous, right? She got the talent already and now it's time to do something with her look." Kurt smiled. Burt could sniff the lie from his son's face, but he didn't care. As long as it didn't involve him, he didn't care. Before Burt could take off his hand from Marley, Marley took good few seconds to look at Burt's face. His humbleness, generosity and beautiful coral eyes were inherited to Kurt. His facial expression depicted his traits so much — kindness and hard work. _He's my uncle, _Marley thought. She could imagine the fun times they would have once they got to know each other — _if only he knew..._

"Well, I gotta go. It's very nice to meet you, Kurt and Mr. Hummel, thank you." Marley said before she left. "Hey, call me Burt, and you'll always welcome here, sweetie." Burt said, giving his warm smile to Marley. There was something from Marley's eyes that caught Burt's attention. The way her eyes reflected the sunlight, the way she stared closely at Burt, her eyes kept a deep, big secret. There was something familiar in Marley's eyes that Burt could tell he had seen those eyes a million times and he only had one feeling — _hatred. _But, Burt tried to swipe away his bad thoughts, he couldn't judge the book by its cover.

Marley smiled faintly and Burt and Kurt, then left. As Marley's silhouette faded away, Burt walked to Kurt. "I don't know what you guys are planning, but as long as it doesn't harm anybody I still let you two to talk." Kurt smirked, _well if dad knew that Marley and me are planning on sneaking into his room to steal some files, he surely would harm me. _"Dad, please, it's just a makeover. Besides," Kurt walked to Burt's back and massaged his shoulders. He directed his dad to go inside their house and continued, "You look tired and you should get some rest. I'll close the store and make you a cake and tea."

**_I'm still updating the story, so please kindly review and tell me your fresh ideas for the story :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kurt started searching around his dad's room for Mildred's files. He examined every drawer, closet — even under the bed — but, he couldn't find anything. He started to open every box that existed inside his dad's closet while Burt was serving a customer at the shop. It was thrilling and made Kurt's heart beating fast. He'd never been into a secret mission like this, the one that could put his life hanging by a thread. He could hear the Mission Impossible theme song as he searched around every cabinet in Burt's room, because it was impossible to find any file about Mildred's existence to complete this mission.

"Gotcha!" Kurt exclaimed, as he found a box with the word 'Elizabeth's' in it. It was the only box that led him to Mildred's data. He opened it and saw valuable things that his mother left for good. There were perfumes, photographs, even love letters from Burt to Elizabeth and vice versa. Kurt sprayed his mother's scent on his body a little, reminding him of Elizabeth's smell by the time she hugged her son lovingly. He found an old photograph of both sisters with Mildred's address written on the back — _that was it. _He could only find one address, the one on the picture. The rest of the box was filled with his mother's belongings that didn't lead him to another clue. Kurt put the box back and hugged the photograph on his chest, he wished it was the right address so he could find Mildred.

"Hey, Marls, where are you?"

"I'm in class. Any updates?"

"Yeah, I found the address. I'm on my way to school. Just go pack your bags, we're leaving."

"Wait, I'm in Math, I can't just run away from class."

"Say you have diarrhea, always works on me!"

_Diarrhea? _Marley hung up the phone before Mr. Bennett could catch her telephoning in class. She strutted back to her seat after ducking under the table. Marley was anxious, she never ran away from class. And it was math, she would never miss math — unless if she wanted bad grades. She looked around, waiting for a great time to ask for excuse. "Mr. Bennett?" Marley raised her hand. Everybody looked up from their books and glanced at Marley. "Yes, Ms. Rose? Can I help you?" Mr. Bennett, a senior math teacher, stopped writing on the whiteboard and started giving Marley attention. His height was under Lima's average height and he had a mustache covering his philtrum. His head was half bald, he waited for his brunette hair to fully fell from his head. "Well, sir, I..." Marley started pressing her hands on her stomach and cried in pain. She groaned hard, like there was something that was going to fall from her butt. "I think I'm going to take number 2. I don't know, I think it's because of last night's burrito. Sir, can I go to the restroom?" Marley was pretty good for someone who acted once in the school production — and Mr. Bennett seemed to believe it. "Well, Ms. Rose, I guess no one wants to listen to your sad story about your diarrhea. Here, you can have the hall pass." Marley ran with her bag and took the hall pass. She ran fast to the exit and didn't care about how many people who were laughing histerically at her. She kept running until she could get to a safe place and wait for Kurt.

Everyone in class seemed to believe Marley's excuse, except Kitty. She could smell something fishy from Marley. She needed to find it out. She would never let Marley go far from her sight. Kitty hated Marley so much that she could use every inch of her dirt for a revenge — a revenge for her lead role on Grease and a revenge for taking Kitty's boyfriend, Jake. Kitty shook her head in disbelief and started to walk slowly to the exit behind her table — she was grateful for sitting on the last row, that way no one would notice her disappearance. She opened the door slowly before Mr. Bennett could catch her, then exited and closed the door silently. _Perfecto._

Marley ran as fast as she could. She ran without looking at her steps. She kept looking at her phone to check on Kurt's text messages.

_Where r u?_

_I'm at the parking lot_

Marley tried to reply Kurt's texts, but she couldn't type while running. She trusted her instinct to guide her to the exit — she followed the sunlight that she could see from the windows.

"The restroom's that way, boobless." Kitty followed Marley and pointed at the opposite way of where they were running. Kitty tried to keep up Marley's speed, but she was unbelievably fast. Marley was surprised of Kitty. Her eyes were widened and her skin was pale, like she just saw a ghost. "Kitty! I have no time for your dirty talk, I'm sorry." Marley kept running away from Kitty, until the cheerios chick stopped her. She streched her right leg, making Marley tripped and almost fell down. Marley finally stopped.

"What do you want?" Marley asked irritatingly. Why did Kitty have to show up every time Marley was in the middle of an important situation? Kitty was annoying, Marley admitted. Sometimes she wished the girl would go away to a foreign island, so she would never see Kitty's face ever again. Kitty crossed her arms on her chest and walked around Marley, examining every inch of Marley's body. "_What do you want, huh? _You ditched math. Doesn't sound like Marley Rose, does it? Something is up, I know. I'm just curious about it." Kitty said suspiciously. Marley rolled her eyes and slung her sling bag on her shoulder, _this is going to be a long conversation. _"I'm sorry, Kitty, but I can't tell you. It's a secret and it's very important for me to keep it to myself." Marley moved along, she didn't have to waste her time in the hallway with Kitty — but Kitty certainly didn't want Marley to go. "Well, it's not a secret anymore now that you tell me it's a secret," Kitty said, walking her feet on the same speed as Marley's. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on." Marley felt her rage started to grow bigger and her fist was itchy to punch Kitty on her nose. "Okay, Kitty, someone's waiting for me outside and we're having a serious problem. So, please just leave me alone." Marley explained. Kitty stopped and backed down. She let Marley ran alone, while she was walking backwards to the class and said, "Fine. I'll just go back to class and tell everybody you're running away from class to meet a random guy for an afternoon delight." _What?! _Marley was shocked. She stopped, clenched both of her fists and headed towards Kitty. _"If you take one more step, I swear to God these fists will land on your throat!" _Marley's face turned red, she was furious. Kitty's eyes widened and scared, she had never seen this side of Marley — and Marley had never felt this mad at someone.

Marley stood about a metre in front of Kitty and calmed herself down. _Breathe in, breathe out, just like what they taught you in summer camp,_ Marley thought. Her body started to get relaxed and not as angry as she was a few seconds ago. "Holy kittens, you scared me!" Kitty tried to calm herself down after the pre-attack Marley shot to her. She rubbed her chest while trying to figure out what was happening with Marley. Marley herself was confused, she felt like something just posessed her and controlled her body. She tried to fight after her soul, but she couldn't. Now she had to go to her one and only destination; meeting Kurt in his car and heading to Mildred's house. "Everything is wrong! You can't just tell them like that." Marley said. Kitty walked closer to Marley. Her body still shivered and she was afraid that Marley would devour her. "Well, can you just tell me what's going on? I swear I won't tell." Kitty said reassuringly. She tried to convince Marley to tell her the real thing, but Marley couldn't trust her that easy. Marley bit her bottom lip and replied, "I'm sorry, Kitty, but I don't trust you. I don't trust you for my secret since you're a mean bitch to me, I — " before Marley could finish her sentence, Kurt came out of nowhere and pulled her arms. "Hurry, we gotta go!" Without taking a second look at Kitty, Kurt dragged Marley to the exit. He was wearing a simple gray sweater and a pair of jeans, he had no time to dress all fancy and Kurt-sy. Marley followed Kurt without hesitation. She looked at Kitty for the last time, she was staring at Marley with crossed arms and suspicious gaze. Marley didn't mind, although she was afraid Kitty would pour her with thousands of question tomorrow morning.

_What's with Mona and that ladyboy? Well, anyways, I've come this far and there is no way I will stop. Kitty has an investigation to make —_

* * *

After a long drive to nowhere, Kurt and Marley finally arrived at the place where they assumed it was Mildred's residence. They didn't talk along the road because Marley was afraid if Kurt thought she had told Kitty about this mission. And after 45 minutes of driving to the darkest side of the town, Marley spoke.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Positive." Kurt reread the address carefully, that was it. His GPS pointed the exact address, but the view seemed the opposite. They were in the middle of an abandoned building. Kurt once heard the building was made for an apartment, but they never got to finish it because of certain problems. The building was 70% ready and it was possible for a man to live inside it, but a pretty woman in the picture? Could she live inside this mess?

As a man, Kurt got off first. He had to make sure that everything was okay and they were in the right place. "Stay here." Marley waited patiently by the car, she prayed she could meet Mildred anytime soon. Kurt walked inside the bulding, he found stairs that headed to the upper floor. Then, he heard a sound — a cough. A cough of someone choking over smoke. _Jack pot, _Kurt thought. They found a living figure inside the bulding, now he had to make sure that was Mildred. He climbed up the stairs and creeped into the room secretly. He saw a glanced of short brunette haired woman around her 40s, holding a glass of bourbon. She kept sipping her drink and rolling around the room. She was ranting about how life sucked in just a flash. "I used to have everything; family, girlfriend, home, and now what? I'm a mess! Living, breathing mess! I hate that frickin' bald asshole took away my sister and kill her! And don't make me start telling you about their gay son," the woman spitted to the floor. _Yup, that's her, _Kurt smirked. He was deeply offended by Mildred when she said his father had killed Kurt's own mother, but he wouldn't know it was Mildred if she didn't mention it. He hadn't seen her face, but he recognized her silhouette that reminded him of family gatherings — Mildred, moonlight, alcohol.

Kurt got down as fast as he could to pick up Marley. He opened her door and guided her to Mildred. He had to do the secret agent moves all over again, so Mildred wouldn't find out about their presence. And when they arrived inside Mildred's room, Kurt cleared his throat; catching Mildred's attention and almost dropped her bottle.

"Hummel, what are you doing here?" Mildred asked surprisingly. Her eyes widened, like she just got busted for doing a crime. Kurt stepped closer to Mildred and coded Marley to do so, but Mildred seemed to avoid both kids. "I have something to tell you, aunt Mildred," Kurt said. He gave Marley the 'are you ready?' Look, Marley nodded. Mildred approached a worn out wooden table and leaned on it. She put both hands to hold her body and stared Kurt and Marley in disgust. She never had her privacy got disturbed, especially by a high school student and a college man. "What is it?" Behind Mildred's annoyance look, she seemed to be intrigued by what Kurt and Marley were going to tell her. She furrowed, preparing her both ears to listen to her nephew.

Kurt didn't know how to deliver the news to Mildred. He didn't know how to tell her that Marley was her daughter without freaking the woman out. He was completely screwed. "Aunt Mildred, listen, there's someone that I want you to meet," Kurt said in his soft voice. Mildred's expression was the same; disgusted and cold. She crossed her arms and glanced at Marley coldly. She definitely didn't want anyone disturbed her shire in this abandoned building. "Her name's Marley. Mildred, Marley. Marley, Mildred." Kurt introduced both girls to each other. Marley stared at Mildred with her glowing eyes; she glowed because she just saw the face that gave birth to her. But, it was the opposite for Mildred. She stared at her biological daughter that she barely knew weirdly. She saw Marley's eyes, nose, and hair screamed her name, but she couldn't figure out why — she hadn't been told the truth. "And Marley has something to tell you." Kurt continued, smiling. He let Marley do the talking now. First, Marley widened her eyes shockingly, because she didn't know what to say. She gave the 'what the fuck' look at Kurt, but he stared back at the girl with the 'go! It's your freaking mother, just talk' look. Marley tried to calm herself down before confessing. She stepped three steps forward, facing Mildred and only her. Marley looked deep inside her eyes, trying to read how Mildred felt about this. She only saw weird light and unpleasant feeling around Mildred's eyes — _this wouldn't be good. _But, Marley didn't care — it was now or never.

"Ms. Crystal, my name is Marley and... _I'm your daughter." _

Marley finally blurted out the words. She was relieved than ever before. She wasn't as nervous as she was before since Kurt was supporting her from behind. He surely was an angel, if not how could he indirectly give peace to people?

On the other hand, Mildred couldn't utter a single word. She tried to digest what just happened, but everything seemed blurry. _That explains her face and hair, _Mildred thought. She looked at Marley, she surely was her reflection. Instead of having one damaged reflection, Mildred had a reflection contrary from who she really was.

Kurt was waiting his aunt's respond. Would she be mad? Would she be happy? His heart beat faster. It was his decision to start all of this and it needed to end whatsoever. Marley needed to find out about her mother and Mildred had to face the truth that she had a teenage daughter. _What if I blew it off? _Kurt thought. His mind was filled with thoughts of failure. If this didn't happened as he had planned, he would be screwed. He would be hated by Mildred even more than before.

Mildred had no words to describe her feelings. If there was no words to utter, she let her nonverbal to speak for itself. She walked towards Marley and suddenly pushed her shoulders hardly. She pushed Marley so many times, she almost tripped and fell down from the edge of the window. Mildred kept shouting, "YOU'VE RUINED MY LIFE, YOU KNOW THAT! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A GOD DAMN GARBAGE! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!" As Marley kept flowing tears off her eyes. "YEAH, YOU'RE CRYING?! YOUR TEARS WON'T MAKE ME PITY FOR YOU! IT WON'T TURN TO GOLD, FOR SURE, SO STOP BEING SUCH A GOODY-GOODY!" Kurt helped Marley to get back; he grabbed her body and hid it from Mildred to avoid more pushes from the woman. Kurt looked at Mildred's face; she was furious, frustrated, and depressed. Clearly, she didn't take the news happily.

Kurt looked at Marley, who was hugging him and bursting into tears. She was hurt. She couldn't believe her own mother did this to her. Her own mother, who gave birth to her, the one who Marley was looking for, wanted her to die. Maybe everything was right, she was never wanted. She was an unwanted child. She was made by hatred and didn't deserve to live in this world. Marley should've fallen down from that window, knowing that no one wanted her to be on Earth. "Aunt Mildred, she's trying to tell you something! Could you please just respect her?!" Kurt said to Mildred as furious as Mildred, but less shouting. Mildred's eyes widened, _like father like son. _"Oh please, Hummel, just because you bring this girl who turns out to be my daughter, doesn't mean I will call you a saint." Mildred said, taking a cigarette from the box and lighted it. "I'm not a saint. I don't want you to call me a saint. I'm sinful, like you. But, please, just listen to what the girl says, or at least just respect her presence here. She's —" just before Kurt could finish his words, Mildred cut him. "— RUINED MY LIFE?" She smoked her cigarette, then continued, "Duh. Did you know that I come from an honorable family with class and everything, then you suddenly came to this world and brought down everything? Are you happy? I used to live in a big house with my dad and my dead sister, but now I'm living in this junk." Mildred kept shooting fire from her eyes. She fired all her hate bullets at Marley, who was looking down couldn't even look at Mildred's face. "It's not entirely her fault, Mildred. You've been a mess just before she was born, that's what my dad told me." Kurt said to her. Mildred laughed loudly, like she just heard the funniest thing in the world. Kurt frowned. "Your dad? That _Butt _hummel who became the root of the problem? If he hadn't married my sister, things would've not become like this. It was his fault! He took everything, even my precious sister! He turned her into a possessed demon who was against everyone in the family. And he told you that I was a mess?" She said. Kurt gulped. He let Marley off his embrace and clenched his fists facing the woman. He wanted to punch Mildred's face so bad for making fun of his parents, but he had to hold it. "If you were not a mess, then why would you want to live in this building? You're homeless and you live in a half-built apartment." Kurt said. Mildred was tongue-tied. She realized that everything was against her. She was on the dark side. She wanted to get back, but she couldn't because the darkness kept telling her to lie. She was trapped. She was the mess. She was the one who got possessed by a demon. She was wrong all this time.

Noticing the change of expressions on Mildred's face, Kurt walked towards her. He cared so much about Mildred that he wished he could help her, but Mildred kept pushing him away. "Now, tell me why do you think Marley has ruined your life. Please?" Kurt said, smiling faintly. He was afraid to touch Mildred, because he was afraid that the woman had a knife or other defensive weapons.

Mildred threw her cigarette away and put her booze on the table. She crossed her arms, ready to talk. Kurt asked Marley to come forward, then circled his arm on her. Then, Mildred told everything.

"It started a few days after my dad kicked Elizabeth out of our house," Mildred explained. Kurt was surprised; how come his mother never told him about this? Maybe he was too little to cope such a big information like that. Mildred started to play with her fingers — she did that every time she got nervous — and continued, "My dad, your grandfather, knew about Liz's relationship with Burt. He told Liz he never allowed his daughter to date a peasant like Burt. Liz was furious; she would rather be starved to death than have her dad deciding her own life. So, she took a brave step; she took Burt to our house and showed how much he meant to her. But, dad turned him down. He stated he would rather get his wrist cut slowly to death than accept Burt into the house. Elizabeth, then, became furious. She couldn't take it anymore. She let her tantrum out and dad slapped her. He slapped her hard and didn't consider her as his daughter anymore. He kicked her out. He gave her 10 minutes to pack before Elizabeth go away for the rest of her life. She wasn't a Crystal anymore ever since." Kurt couldn't believe at what Mildred was saying. He thought she was lying, but the only thing that covered Mildred's sad eyes was the truth. She told Kurt and Marley the side they never heard before. "Where were you when it all happened?" Kurt asked again. Mildred, who became emotionally shaken, wiped her tears that flew down slowly. She answered, "I was there the whole time, defending my dad. I acted as if I was crazy by defending the demon itself. I was wrong, I should've stood beside Liz." Mildred couldn't take it anymore. She drowned her face into her palms and cried hard.

Kurt was sorry for what happened. He never knew about the information Mildred gave to him. He was wrong all this time; he thought Mildred was evil from the start, but turned out she hid her vulnerable side behind. Marley, who kept listening to her mother's words, was stunned. She had no idea how hard it was to be her. She was new to be in this world and she didn't know how tough it would be to keep up with Mildred's life. She always got the time of her life, she was always happy. She never knew there was someone out there who turned out to have a deep connection to her, was suffering through hell.

Marley had pity for Mildred. She walked closely towards Mildred and hugged her tight. They hugged until they both sat down slowly on the ground. They cried together. Marley could feel the pain that was transferred through Mildred's heartbeat. First, Mildred took the hug as comfort. But then, she realized that Marley was the one who was hugging her. Mildred never wanted Marley's presence beside her. She even didn't want Marley to touch her — even a touch of Marley's fingertip. Mildred was disgusted by her unwanted daughter's presence. "GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU SHIT!" Mildred pushed Marley away. She returned to be her furious self. Her sadness and sorrow faded away, as she rejected Marley roughly. Marley was sad, very sad. It was painful to have one who should be loving her was fighting against her. Marley cried. She wanted to let all her pain away, but she didn't want to look weak in front of Mildred. She hid her scar behind her faint cry.

Mildred got up and pointed her finger at Marley. "YOU DID THIS! YOU MESSED UP WITH MY LIFE! YOU THINK YOU'RE AN ANGEL THAT GOD SENT ME AS A GIFT TO SOLVE MY PROBLEM? WELL, YOU ARE MY PROBLEM! I NEVER WANT YOU, SO DONT EXPECT ME TO WELCOME YOU TO MY LIFE!" She yelled at Marley, who was sobbing on the ground. Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to see Mildred yelling at Marley over and over again, making her feel guilty about her decision to meet her mother. Kurt, then, tried to separate both of them. "ENOUGH!" He ran between Mildred and Marley, threw Mildred's arm away from Marley's face, and screamed. His ears were burning in flame of anger. It was beyond inhumanity. "Kurt," Marley got up and acted strong. She wiped her tears and smiled faintly. "It's okay. My mistake for thinking she will accept me for me. I understand completely." "No, Marls, no. It's not like that. She thinks she's the victim of this crime — but no. She's the suspect and she has to take a responsibility for it." Kurt said, shaking his head. He was angry so much. His face was red and his head burned with hate for Mildred. "I beg your pardon!" Mildred couldn't take the accusation Kurt gave to her. She couldn't back down. She couldn't go without a fight. "I'm not acting like a victim nor a suspect here!" "Well, could you at least tell us what happened?! What makes you so mad and hate this world?! What makes you think Marley is the problem here?! And why can't you accept her for who she is?!" Kurt asked madly. He needed the answers. He needed Mildred to confess how she truly felt and her reasons to hate.

Mildred calmed the hell down in her. She was no more angry. She was sober enough to tell more about the truth...

**_A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger... I haven't finished with the whole storytelling thing, but please please please kindly review, I will love you forever :)_**

**_Ps: I will add songs to this stories, I already got 2 of them (Hint: One of them is from the title), so this story will be musically written :) And I will enter high school next week (warnings?) and I think the updates will take longer than I expected-xoxo_**


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